EACH Act of 2025 Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act of 2025
Impact
The bill posits a significant shift in current healthcare policy, advocating for the inclusion of abortion services in health insurance plans funded by the federal government. It prohibits both state and local governments from restricting insurance coverage for abortion services, thereby challenging existing regulatory frameworks that limit access based on various socioeconomic factors. The implications of this bill could lead to an expansion of abortion services covered under Medicaid and other federally funded health programs, enhancing access for millions who currently face financial challenges in obtaining such care.
Summary
SB2377, titled the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act of 2025 (EACH Act), aims to ensure that all individuals have access to abortion services regardless of income, insurance type, or governmental funding restrictions. The bill seeks to eliminate barriers that disproportionately affect marginalized groups, including low-income individuals, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and young people. This legislation finds that access to comprehensive healthcare, including abortion services, is a fundamental right that should be guaranteed by federal health coverage programs.
Contention
Debate surrounding SB2377 may arise from its potential conflict with existing federal and state laws related to abortion coverage and funding. Critics of the bill may raise concerns that it could undermine state-level decisions on abortion rights and funding, with potential moral and ethical ramifications surrounding abortion services. Additionally, the bill's preemption of state laws that provide more restrictions could lead to legal battles over reproductive rights and authority over healthcare provision, making it a focal point for ongoing discussions about women's rights and governance in health care.
Expressing support for the recognition of September 26, 2023, as "World Contraception Day" and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding global and domestic access to contraception.
Marriage Equality for Disabled Adults ActThis bill eliminates certain marriage-related criteria for individuals entitled to Social Security child’s benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).Specifically, the bill removes the requirement that individuals receiving Social Security child’s benefits be unmarried. Those eligible for Social Security child’s benefits generally include the minor children of eligible or deceased workers and disabled adult children (the disabled adult children of such workers for whom the onset of disability occurred before age 22). Under current law, child beneficiaries generally lose their benefits upon marriage to an individual who is not also eligible for Social Security benefits. With respect to SSI, the bill removes the requirement that couples who present themselves as married in their community be considered married for purposes of SSI eligibility. The bill also exempts SSI recipients who are disabled adult children, or who marry disabled adult children, from the general requirement that the income or resources of an SSI recipient’s spouse be considered in an eligibility determination. Further, married disabled adult children and their spouses who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid in a state if they were unmarried must remain eligible for Medicaid regardless of their marriage.